Audience 2011

Nelson Shanks made this painting, 'Audience', with oils, and who knows when, but it feels like a scene from another time. I love the way Shanks handled the paint here. It's controlled, but not tight, like he’s having a conversation with the canvas. Look at the surface – that red cloth is thick with paint and pulls my eyes into the heart of this scene. The objects here aren’t just still life fodder, they feel like characters in a play, and they all look like us. The skulls are interesting; they're not just symbols of mortality. They seem to be contemplating the young woman who is both part of, and detached from, their world. It reminds me of Philip Guston, who also used simple, blunt forms to talk about heavy stuff. Art doesn’t need to be pretty or easy, it just needs to be real, and Shanks gets that.